DThe developer Bioware never had it easy with Veilguard. It's been a decade since the last Dragon Age game, a decade in which fan theories have leaked and expectations have spiraled out of control – not to mention all the strife that reigned within the studio following the disappointing Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. Veilguard is by no means a bad game, as there are plenty of charming characters to meet and new places to see. But the writing, the core of previous games, is surprisingly mediocre, while the new combat style becomes monotonous rather quickly.

You play as Rook, an associate of Varric who acted as a companion and storyteller in the previous games. Varric and Rook have been searching for the elf god Solas for almost a year. Just when it seems like you'll be able to stop him from tearing down the veil between the physical world and the underworld and unleashing hordes of demons in the process, a magical mishap even results in the liberation of two more worse Gods. These new villains are comically evil, but they're a disappointment compared to the compelling character of Solas, who's right there. Veilguard also tells his side of the story through side quests.

As we travel the continent of Thedas, we visit places not yet explored in previous games: the city of Minrathous in the mage-run Tevinter or the sunny Rivain Peninsula. Each location is beautiful and full of detail, from glowing butterflies fluttering through the forest of Arlathan to animated skeletons swinging broomsticks in the necropolis of Nevarra. Veilguard allows you to travel freely, but certain areas of each map are locked until unlocked through a quest. It can seem jarring, but it also offers the freedom to explore without being overwhelmed. Exploring is also fun and there are lots of treasures to find. Each area is home to a different faction of characters who will immediately ask for a favor. These tasks are very varied and unlock important equipment for each companion.

Combat now takes place entirely in real time. You can still command your companions to use their abilities via a ring menu similar to Mass Effect, which I sometimes had to do because my companions wouldn't do useful things like heal Rook or slow time without my consent. However, most of the time they act autonomously. All I have to do is attack and dodge, mashing the same three buttons over and over again, and occasionally throwing in combat skills or finishing moves, while my companions yell at me to watch out for impending ranged attacks or explosions. It's serviceable, but we've seen it in countless other games and there isn't much room for strategy. However, boss fights are quite challenging. Dodge is important, and you won't get anywhere by blindly slashing at your enemies.

Generally, Veilguard doesn't let go of the hand even for a second. While many of the standard damage numbers, pathfinders, and flashing treasure meters can be disabled in the options menu, the text seems to assume that no player can retain information for more than a few seconds. Characters will endlessly repeat events that just happened and point out things you just saw, often with the exact same words: “Our renegade necromancer could be behind that door.” “Well, I really hope our renegade Necromancer is behind that door!” In case that isn’t enough, there is a written summary for each mission so you can be absolutely sure what happened. The important points are discussed again in team meetings.

Big decisions that impact the story are few and far between, and the game will tell you exactly what they lead to before you make a decision. For the most part, decisions have real consequences, which is nice, but it would have been nicer if the game hadn't told you this multiple times before you made your decision. These choices become less common over time, almost as if time to implement them later in development is running out.

Rook is our hero of the hour because, as they admit, “no one else was there to do it.” It's good to play someone other than a magically chosen superhero for once, but Rook doesn't have much of a personality behind her inappropriate jokes. No matter which dialogue option you choose, much of it will inevitably end up in some sort of joke, and sometimes even slightly embarrassing pop culture references and phrases. (I never want to hear a character say a griffin “feels its oats,” please. Please.) Veilguard isn't the Guardians of the Galaxy prankfest that fans feared after the first trailer, but Rook is written less like a person with opinions and more like someone who makes funny observations.

The central story is the least interesting thing about Veilguard, both in narrative and gameplay. Many quests require you to endlessly stuff crystals into containers to open doors or defeat plague boils, pulsating, fleshy growths that prevent you from traveling to a location to fight a monster. This isn't unusual for Dragon Age, but coupled with unsatisfying cameos and by-the-numbers gameplay, it left me disappointed.

The companions save the day. While the quality of the writing varies greatly, it's fun to get to know your new team. The necromancer Emmrich genuinely cares for the dead and wields his magic like a conductor, and the Qunari dragon hunter Taash struggles with questions of identity and gender. Romantic options don't immediately involve awkward flirting, but are often simply the nicest thing you can say to someone who's having trouble – although the game has a habit of spoiling the fun by jumping in and saying, “Be careful! “You are romantic! Are you sure you want to pursue a romance? The bigger annoyance here is how they behave when you take them on a mission together, making small talk like two colleagues meeting at a company party. “Sooo, Taash, do you hunt dragons? I hunt monsters.” It's a far cry from the banter of Dragon Age: Inquisition.

There's a lot I like about Veilguard, but at times I had to dig deep to overlook its flaws, from repetitive gameplay to a story that doesn't know how to tie everything together. So it's a perfectly enjoyable RPG, but a disappointing Dragon Age game.